Black Tech Week is gearing up for its Cincinnati debut, and weeks before the conference converges on sites throughout downtown and Over-the-Rhine, organizers have confirmed the event’s keynote speaker: iconic tennis champion, cultural icon and investor Serena Williams.
Williams, regarded as one of the top tennis players — and athletes — in the world with 23 Grand Slam titles, and a managing partner at San Francisco-based Serena Ventures, will helm the event, scheduled for July 18-22.
Candice Matthews Brackeen, founder and CEO of Lightship Foundation, told me adding Williams instantly raises the profile of Black Tech Week. Lightship Foundation, a local economic development group, acquired the conference earlier this year, relocating it from Miami to Cincinnati.
About 1,000-2,000 are expected to attend.
“This allows us to be immediately recognized as a top-tier tech conference,” Matthews Brackeen said. “She’s coming to Black Tech Week because she recognizes how important this event is to the growth of our community.”
Williams launched San Francisco-based Serena Ventures in 2014. The firm has built a portfolio of more than 60 companies spanning fintech, edtech and consumer products, with 13 unicorns and six exits.
Serena Ventures recently raised a $111 million fund in March to fund companies pre-seed through Series A. Of its prior investments, 76% have gone to under-represented founders while 53% went to women.
Williams is scheduled to appear to speak July 21.
“Black Tech Week is a movement in support of the success of ecosystems being built by Black founders,” Williams said in a release. “I’m looking forward to joining this strong community of talent, connecting and impacting the future of technology.”
The conference has enlisted more than 50 tech influencers, minority innovators and ecosystem builders as featured speakers with more than 60 sessions scheduled. Organizers are taking a citywide approach to hosting the event. Music Hall, Memorial Hall, Taft Theatre, Union Hall and Frost Brown Todd will all be used as venues.
In addition to Williams, some of the featured speakers include:
- Kimberly Bryant, founder of Black Girls Code, an Oakland, Calif., nonprofit that works to get more girls and women of color in tech.
- Arlan Hamilton, founder of Hire Runner, a software as a service startup that works to connect operations talent with inclusive companies; and Backstage Capital, a Los Angeles-based venture fund dedicated to high-potential tech founders who are people of color, women and/or LGBTQ.
- Janeen Uzzell, CEO of National Black Society of Engineers.
Black Tech Week’s events are presented with support from Uber, Main Street Ventures and more.
Black Tech Week, founded in 2015, brings together founders of color, tech professionals and enthusiasts, funders, allies and all members of the global Black tech community.
Lightship Foundation plans to capitalize on the momentum leading into the Cincinnati Music Festival, one of the oldest and largest events of its kind in the country. The music festival, scheduled July 21-23, hosts more than 70,000 visitors and generates $107 million in economic impact.
